Y Tu Mummy Tambien
by EmeraldCityTourist
Summary: The missing scene from 5x10 Piper and Paige discuss Piper's choosing Phoebe over Paige to live. Short and sweet.


**This fiction is in response to a challenge posted by PaigeFan in the forums. Basically, it's a missing scene between Piper and Paige after 'Y Tu Mummy Tambien' about the sisters discussing Piper's choice. Edit: a few words changed, a few mistakes corrected, nothing big.**

Paige watched as the dark coffee turned into a swirl of shades and then into a light brown as she stirred the cream and sugar around in her mug. Yawning, she hugged her bathrobe tighter around her body in a vain attempt to fight off the chilly San Francisco morning. She didn't need the glance she stole at the clock to know it was way too late for her to be awake, and much too early to be drinking the mug full of caffeine that she was about to swallow.

Unfortunately, she had been tossing and turning in her bed for the past four hours, and had received not even a wink of sleep. Sighing, she continued to stare into her drink as she thought about the previous day's events. She remembered seeing and hearing everything that was going on, but being powerless to act while Isis was residing in her body.

"_Who are you going to save?" Jeric asked quickly, his hand resting lightly on Paige's._

_Silence filled the room for what seemed like hours, until Piper finally uttered the middle sister's name. If Paige had had control over her body, she didn't doubt that tears would have filled her eyes. _

_Cole breathed a sigh of relief and made some thin joke about suspense, while Piper prepared herself mentally for what was to come. After the spell was recited, one soul visibly left Paige's body, and Jeric rushed over to her side._

Paige knew that Piper had a plan when she walked into the room the day before, but she couldn't help feeling betrayed somehow. She looked up sharply as she heard a noise coming from the hallway. Piper entered the kitchen and smiled softly at her youngest sister. Paige attempted a half hearted smile back, and looked back into her coffee.

"Paige," Piper probed softly.

"Yeah," she answered, not looking up. Suddenly, she felt too tired to do anything. Too tired to look up, too tired to speak.

"Paige," her sister said again. This time, Paige ignored her feelings and looked up at Piper.

"What?"

"What are you doing down here at whatever-the-heck time it is?"

"Just thinking. And what about you? You think you've left a darklighter arm in the bathroom, so you were coming down to clean up the mess?"

"Well, I never said I was tidy, did I? But no, I came down here because I saw that my lovely sister was up and about, and I was curious as to why."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Paige muttered.

"I'm invincible, thank you very much. So I'll take my chances. What's on your mind?"

"Just stuff. I was thinking about Glenn."

"Paige, you know, we as a family are horrible liars. The only one good at it was Prue. I think it was something about her eyes, but whatever."

_And there it is, _Paige thought. She figured she might as well get the subject off of her chest while Piper was tired enough to forget about it the next day.

"It's just that, well, why… Why did you…" _Damn it, stop stuttering, girl!_

"Why did I choose Phoebe over you yesterday?" Piper guessed.

"I'm that transparent?" Paige sighed.

"Paige, I _didn't _choose Phoebe over you. The spell worked."

"But that's just it! You had absolutely no idea that the spell would work. The ones we make up in a hurry are usually only fifty-fifty, and you took a chance. But if the chance failed, Phoebe still would have been saved."

Piper sighed and sat down at the table.

"Paige, I know what you must be thinking," Piper started.

"Do you? Because, for some reason I get the feeling you don't, having grown up with all of your sisters and knowing them your whole life, then _not _having been possessed and having someone else be chosen over you. But that's just a theory."

"Well let me try, alright? You're thinking that I chose Phoebe because I had loved her longer, and we're closer, right?"

Paige glanced up, slightly embarrassed, as Piper continued.

"I thought so. Paige, you're right. I took a chance, and I took it with Phoebe. I knew that Jeric and Cole both wanted me to save Phoebe, and if I defied them outright, there would be no hope of saving you. Jeric would kill Phoebe, and let you and Isis struggle for one body until you died. There was no way for me to save you other than my gamble. I know that doesn't help, but also know that if I had lost you, there would be hell to pay for anyone who tried to stop me from getting you back."

Paige tried to think of something to say, but couldn't. Piper stood up and walked behind her, enveloping her younger sister in a hug. She whispered a few words into her ear and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the first genuine smile of the night on Paige's face.

"You know, you're not Prue, you're not Phoebe, and you never will be. I don't want you to be. I love you Paige Matthews-Halliwell, and you're nobody's replacement. You're better than that. And you looked fantastic as an Egyptian queen."

**Reviews are always nice.**


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